Enjoy the Cuban Festival in San Miguel

Music, photography, dance and film are just some of the attractions that will be featured at the 11th edition of Cubafest in San Miguel de Allende. The festival will pay homage to the King of Mambo, Dámaso Pérez Prado, on the 25th annivsary of his death.

The Cuban Festival in San Miguel de Allende will be held from Saturday, March 8, through Sunday, March 16. According to the organizers, Guadalupe Meza and Adolfo Rubio, one of the main attractions of the festival will be the expo, which as usual will be installed in the pedestrian area surrounding the Jardín Principal. At this expo you can purchase the most popular products of Cuban artists, such as music, art crafts, literature and musical instruments. There will be music from Omara Portuondo, Pablo Milanés, Orquesta Aragón and Company Segundo, among other Cuban celebrities. This expo will be inaugurated on March 8 at 11am. The same day at 6pm, the Cuban Fidel Antonio Orta will offer a lecture entitled “Cuba is Culture” at the Mansión Virreyes hotel.

The festival will also celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8, at 9pm at the Jardín Principal with a concert by Daniel Herrera y la Corte. This concert will also be an homage to Damaso Pérez Prado “The King of Mambo,” known for songs such as “Lupita,” “Politécnico,” “UNAM” and “Número Cinco,” among other themes that are expressions of the Mexican culture accompanied by the contagious Cuban rhythm.

At the Jardín Principal, from Monday, March 10, through Friday, March 14, at 7pm, dance performances by different groups will take place. The rhythms will include Chachachá, danzón, bachata, cumbia, tango and other dances and rhythms from Cuba and the Caribbean.

Films will be shown on Thursday, March 14, at the Teatro Ángela Peralta from 2pm–10pm. One of the movies to be shown is Vinci, which looks at the life of young Leonardo Da Vinci when he was 24 and speculates on the days that the artist had to stay behind bars, accused of sodomy, a crime that was shameful and humiliating at that time. Larga Distancia will be shown at 4pm.

At 6pm, the movie Se vende will be screened. In this film Nácar, a young girl, faces a severe financial crisis. One Sunday, as usual, she goes to the cemetery to talk with her

dead mother, who commands her to sell her crypt. “If we have to sacrifice the dead to feed the living, we will do it,” says the mother. Nácar is scared and tells this to a close friend, Pilar, who convinces her to do it. Later, Noel arrives in Nácar’s life, and with him she experiences the adventure of exhuming their loved ones.

At 8pm, there will be a national premiere of the movie Conducta. The movie tells the story of a young boy, Chala, who is in sixth grade and has an addict mom who trains fighting dogs to make money. Chala feels great respect towards Carmela, his teacher, who understands his behavior. Later, due to an illness, Carmela leaves the school and a new teacher, who is not capable of understanding Chala’s behavior, arrives. She sends Chala to a correctional school. Later, when Carmela comes back to the school, she tries her best to bring Chala back to the school, even if it puts her job at risk.

Tickets for the movies should be requested in advance from the vendors at the expo in the Jardín Principal.

Son 14 de Cuba will present the concert “Que rico mambo” on Saturday, March 5, at 9pm at the Jardín Principal. The band will be accompanied by the husky voice of Tiburón Morales. Cubafest will end on Sunday, March 16, with a dance marathon at the Jardín.

Check out the whole program in the Festivals and Events section of Que Pasa.